Ted Kennedy's Malignant Tumor: Sad News, But "The Work Goes On"

Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with a Malignant Brain Tumor. Although the news is tragic, we can turn to Kennedy's own words for inspiration and solace. In 1980, in his concession speech to Carter, Kennedy said: "For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." So the best way, perhaps, to honor Senator Kennedy, is support the valiant work he has done for over 40 years, and continues to do today. Here are some more inspiring words from Senator Kennedy, followed by ways you can take action to ensure that the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream never dies.

1. But we do not win the war on terror by stooping to their level. We do not win by desecrating the very ideals that our soldiers are fighting for. We win by setting an example -- by doing unto others as we would have them do unto us.
2. Some in Congress want to turn America away from its true spirit.... They believe immigrants are criminals. That's false. They believe any of us who help immigrants – even our priests – are criminals, too. That's false.... More than four decades ago, near this place, Martin Luther King called on the nation to let freedom ring. Freedom did ring – and freedom can ring again. It is time for Americans to lift their voices now in pride for our immigrant past and in pride for our immigrant future.
3. " It is the glory and the greatness of our tradition to speak for those who have no voice, to remember those who are forgotten, to respond to the frustrations and fulfill the aspirations of all Americans seeking a better life in a better land.We dare not forsake that tradition. We cannot let the great purposes of the Democratic Party become the bygone passages of history... We are the party of the New Freedom, the New Deal and the New Frontier. We have always been the party of hope. So this year let us offer new hope, new hope to an America uncertain about the present, but unsurpassed in its potential for the future.To all those who are idle in the cities and industries of America let us provide new hope for the dignity of useful work. Democrats have always believed that a basic civil right of all Americans is their right to earn their own way.... To all those who work hard for a living wage let us provide new hope that their price of their employment shall not be an unsafe workplace and a death at an earlier age."
4. " The answers of one generation become the questions of the next generation. But there is a guiding star in the American firmament. It is as old as the revolutionary belief that all people are created equal, and as clear as the contemporary condition of Liberty City and the South Bronx. Again and again Democratic leaders have followed that star and they have given new meaning to the old values of liberty and justice for all."
5. " To all those who inhabit our land from California to the New York Island, from the Redwood Forest to the Gulfstream waters, let us provide new hope that prosperity shall not be purchased by poisoning the air, the rivers and the natural resources that are the greatest gift of this continent.We must insist that our children and our grandchildren shall inherit a land which they can truly call America the beautiful."
6. "The President, the Vice President, the members of Congress have a medical plan that meets their needs in full, and whenever senators and representatives catch a little cold, the Capitol physician will see them immediately, treat them promptly, fill a prescription on the spot. We do not get a bill even if we ask for it, and when do you think was the last time a member of Congress asked for a bill from the Federal Government? I say again, as I have before, if health insurance is good enough for the President, the Vice President and the Congress of the United States, then it is good enough for you and every family in America."
7. "And to all those overburdened by an unfair tax structure, let us provide new hope for real tax reform. Instead of shutting down classrooms, let us shut off tax shelters.Instead of cutting out school lunches, let us cut off tax subsidies for expensive business lunches that are nothing more than food stamps for the rich."
8. "Women hold their rightful place at our convention, and women must have their rightful place in the Constitution of the United States. On this issue we will not yield, we will not equivocate, we will not rationalize, explain or excuse. We will stand for E.R.A. and for the recognition at long last that our nation was made up of founding mothers as well as founding fathers."
9. "There are few issues more basic to our faith than how we treat others – not just our friends and countrymen, but those from other countries and traditions. Leviticus teaches us that, The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. And we remember the words of Christ from St. Matthew's Gospel that we are not only to feed the hungry and care for the sick, but to welcome the stranger. And Thomas Merton took that further when he reminded us that we are wiser as people when we not only welcome – but we listen – to the voice of the stranger. That is our tradition. That is our faith. That is our calling. Especially in these difficult times with the high emotion and political fervor that surround the issue."
10. "I'm proud that Massachusetts continues to be a leader on marriage equality. Being part of a family is a basic right, and I look forward to the day when every state accepts this basic principle of fairness. Marriage is a solemn commitment to plan a future together, to share in life's celebrations, to be there as a source of comfort and support to ease life's burdens and pains. This week's debate in the Senate affects real families with real-life struggles. When the citizens of a state have decided to recognize those families through their state constitution or state laws the Senate has no business undermining their personal, private decisions.It's wrong to try to turn back the clock on the progress we've made in guaranteeing civil rights for all our people.... That progress has been achieved at great cost and sacrifice, and we must not retreat. The Constitution has never been amended to discriminate any American, and now is no time to start.

Inspired? Then to pass the Fair Minimum Wage Act! And check out the video below of Kennedy explaining why it's so important to raise the minimum wage. [youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=fVfLPeq9jhU[/youtube] Related Sen. Edward Kennedy has cancerous brain tumor Unlike brothers, Ted Kennedy grew old in public Too soon for Ted to pass the torch Byrd offers weeping tribute to Kennedy